Global air traffic could plunge by 1.2 billion passengers
The United Nations’ aviation body says the Covid-19 pandemic could see air travel demand drop by 1.2 billion travelers by this summer.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) estimates demand may dip by as much as two-thirds for the first nine months of the year.
That could see global airline revenues fall by as much as $250 billion.
The ICAO report says most of the revenue loss will be in Asia Pacific and Europe.
It will have a severe impact on Europe’s peak summer travel season.
Global passenger capacity is down 91% so far this month, it says.
The ICAO is still unsure when a recovery will begin and how long it will take.
"As overall severity and duration of the pandemic are still uncertain, ICAO has developed six different recovery paths under two indicative scenarios to explore the potential short-term economic implication of the covid-19 pandemic," ICAO secretary general Dr. Fang Liu said.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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